Twist in My Sobriety

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"Twist in My Sobriety"
Tanita tikaram twist in my sobriety.jpg
Single by Tanita Tikaram
from the album Ancient Heart
B-side
  • "Friends"
  • "The Kill in Your Heart"
  • "For All These Years"
Released14 July 1988
Recorded1988
Genre
Length3:53
LabelWEA
Songwriter(s)Tanita Tikaram
Producer(s)Peter Van Hooke, Rod Argent
Tanita Tikaram singles chronology
"Good Tradition"
(1988) 		"Twist in My Sobriety"
(1988) 		"Cathedral Song"
(1989)

"Twist in My Sobriety" is a song written and recorded by Tanita Tikaram. Released as a single in 1988 from her debut album, Ancient Heart, it was Tikaram's biggest international success, achieving top 10 placings in several European countries.[citation needed]

Background[]

The first line of the song, "All God's children need traveling shoes", is the title of a book by writer/poet Maya Angelou.

Speaking about the somewhat obscure and enigmatic lyrics, Tikaram has offered different views on their meaning, but said it's mostly about the particular relationship with the world one feels when entering adulthood. "The song is really about not understanding - when you're 18, you've got a very particular emotional relationship with the world, you feel very isolated, and everybody else is so distant and cold. And I think I was singing about not feeling anything or not being moved by things around. I think this is a strong feeling when you're just after adolescence."[1]

Malcolm Messiter plays the oboe on the song, which is featured prominently on the song's chorus, as well as being used on instrumental solos throughout the song.

In 2001, the song appeared on the soundtrack of the film Bandits.[2]

Release and reception[]

Released as the second single from her debut album Ancient Heart, the song was edited for its single release, eliminating the last verse of the song. Despite heavy promotion, including two performances of the song on the BBC's Top of the Pops, the single was surprisingly only a moderate hit in the UK, peaking at #22, and to date it is Tikaram's last top 40 hit in her home country.[citation needed]

The song was a bigger success when released in Europe, and was a top 10 hit in several countries, including Ireland (#10), France (#6), Norway (#6), Germany (#2), Switzerland (#6) and Austria (#2). It mostly charted within the top 40 in other European countries and was a big airplay hit all around Europe in 1988–89. The single was Tikaram's only chart hit in the USA charts, peaking at #25 on the Modern Rock charts, and was a hit on college radio stations. The song featured prominently during the 1988 Miami Vice episode "The Lost Madonna".[citation needed]

Remixes[]

In 1996, a remixed house version by Ramp (Simon Rogers and Shem McCauley) with a much faster tempo was included on the compilation The Best of Tanita Tikaram and was released as a single to promote the album. The single peaked at number 82 in the UK.

In 1998, Tikaram issued another version of the song as a B-side to her single "Stop Listening". This version, with re-recorded vocals, has an ambient house/downtempo sound.

Music video[]

The sepia-colored music video was directed by Gerard de Thame and premiered in the autumn of 1988. Shot on location on the Altiplano Plateau in Bolivia, the video shows various residents of a destitute village interacting with each other amidst their daily struggles. Interspersed throughout these scenes are shots of Tanita Tikaram singing in a darkened room with only one light shining on her face.[3][4][5]

Track listing[]

7" single
No.TitleLength
1."Twist in My Sobriety" (edit)3:53
2."Friends"2:13
12" maxi
No.TitleLength
1."Twist in My Sobriety" (full length version)4:51
2."Friends"2:13
3."For All These Years"5:13
CD maxi
No.TitleLength
1."Twist in My Sobriety" (edit)3:55
2."Friends"2:16
3."The Kill in Your Heart"3:43
4."For All These Years"5:12
1996 remixes
No.TitleLength
1."Twist in My Sobriety" (Tikaramp Radio)4:23
2."Twist in My Sobriety" (Phil Kelsey Vocal)9:40
3."Twist in My Sobriety" (Extended Bumps Fluidity Mix)5:10
4."Twist in My Sobriety" (Tikaramp Vocal)6:48
5."Twist in My Sobriety" (SFX Sobriety Mix)6:55

Charts and sales[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Songfacts". 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
  2. ^ "SoundTrack at IMDB". Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  3. ^ Twist In My Sobriety by Tanita Tikaram Songfacts. Songfacts.com. Retrieved on 2016-03-11.
  4. ^ Tanita Tikaram - "Twist in my sobriety [version 1]". mvdbase.com. Retrieved on 2016-03-11.
  5. ^ Tanita Tikaram -Twist in my sobriety. YouTube (2012-03-16). Retrieved on 2016-03-11.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "lescharts.com – Tanita Tikaram – Twist In My Sobriety". lescharts.com. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  7. ^ RPM Top Singles - April 24, 1989 RPM magazine
  8. ^ "Chartverfolgung / Tikaram,Tanita / Single". musicline.de. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  9. ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 5 June 2011. Search for "Twist in My Sobriety"
  10. ^ "The Official Charts Company – Tanita Tikaram – Twist In My Sobriety". Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Tanita Tiakam Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  12. ^ 1989 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  13. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 1989" (PDF). Music & Media. 6 (51): 6. December 23, 1989. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via American Radio History.
  14. ^ 1989 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved April 20, 2008)
  15. ^ "French single certifications – Tikaram Tanita – Twist in My Sobriety" (in French). InfoDisc. Select TIKARAM TANITA and click OK. 
  16. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Tanita Tikaram; 'Twist in My Sobriety')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

External links[]

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